In the IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 10, Mar. 1978, pages 3924-3926 there is described an electroerosion printhead that contains two staggered rows of tungsten electrodes which are encapsulated in ceramic material. This ceramic material substrate which carries the electrodes is made from laminated green or unsintered sheets on which the electrodes are first registered and which then afterwards are sintered under application of heat and pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,535 discloses an electroerosion printhead formed from a plurality of laminated sheets which are electrically conductive, each sheet having an electrode forming protrusion on one edge and a tap forming protrusion on the opposite edge for tap fanout.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,500 describes an electrode printhead that has a plurality of strip shaped chromium-nickel steel alloy electrodes. The individual electrodes are etched or stamped out from two sheet metal parts. The electrodes are juxtapositioned for assembly in a mirror-like fashion in a single row whereby electrodes of both metal parts intermesh. During assembly insulating material is inserted between the electrodes. Due to the mirror-like assembly the rear contact ends of the electrodes are located in two planes, thus facilitating electrical connections. High resolution printing cannot be achieved with the printhead.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,931 discloses an oscillating page-wide, electroerosion printhead which has an array of a plurality of tungsten styli arranged in a single row.
In none of the above cited prior art is there shown an electrode wire for an electroerosion printhead which is covered with a copper or a copper alloy layer which functions as a connector pad or on which a connector pad might be formed.